17
Marc exhaled heavily.
"Hahhh…"
Juro laughed as well.
"Not bad, kids."
He crossed his arms proudly.
"Congratulations. You both managed to successfully enter your first Mental Mana Room."
---------------
Marc stood up and excitedly told Juro how incredible the experience was. He kept describing how real everything felt and how intense the fight was.
While Marc was talking, Bell quietly watched him.
Inside his mind, Bell thought to himself.
"I almost failed to end it in one hit…"
His thoughts returned to the moment inside the Mental Mana Room.
When Bell had thrown the final punch toward Marc's head, he believed the fight would end instantly.
But at that exact moment, Marc had instinctively focused a massive amount of mana into his head, reinforcing it and making it far more durable than Bell expected.
Fortunately, Bell noticed the change almost immediately.
Before Marc could gather even more mana and fully reinforce himself, Bell forced a burst of additional mana into his fist and released it all at once.
That overwhelming burst was what finally ended the fight.
"I only managed to finish it because I released a burst of my mana before he could reinforce it further…" Bell thought.
"He has one hell of an instinct."
Bell then stood up and walked over to Marc.
"Are you okay?"
Marc immediately turned toward him with a huge grin.
"That was amazing!" he exclaimed. "I'm really glad we can spar like that from now on!"
Bell tilted his head slightly.
"Why not spar in real life?"
Marc instantly froze.
A bead of sweat formed on his forehead as he laughed nervously.
"E-eh… you? In real life? Ahahaha…"
He scratched the back of his head.
"I don't think I'm ready for that yet…"
Bell chuckled softly and patted Marc on the shoulder.
Juro, meanwhile, glanced toward the window and noticed that it had already grown dark outside.
With a small motion of his hand, he released the barrier.
Marc immediately noticed.
"Woah, there was a barrier the whole time?"
Juro nodded.
"Yeah. It keeps anyone outside from sensing the mana inside while we're training."
Marc's eyes sparkled.
"That's so cool! Will we be able to learn that too?"
Juro chuckled and ruffled Marc's hair.
"Of course. You two are very talented."
He stretched his arms slightly before adding,
"Alright, let's go downstairs and eat. I'll be paying tonight."
He grinned.
"I even got a discount since I helped a bit in the kitchen."
Right on cue, Marc's stomach growled loudly.
"Oop… hehe. I guess I am hungry."
He turned to Bell.
"Alright Bell, let's go."
The three of them began heading downstairs.
Juro stayed a few steps behind, watching the two boys descend the staircase.
A quiet thought formed in his mind.
"These kids have frightening potential."
He recalled the moment Marc nearly lost the fight.
"In that tiny instant before he lost, Marc's mana output almost skyrocketed."
Juro then thought about Bell.
"But Bell…"
"He noticed Marc's surge instantly and responded by pouring an enormous amount of mana into a single shot of burst."
Juro let out a quiet breath.
"Even I could feel the intensity of their mana."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"Hah…"
As they reached the lower floor, Bell and Marc found an empty table and sat down while Juro walked over to the counter to order the food.
Marc leaned forward slightly.
"Hey Bell."
"Hm?" Bell responded.
Marc looked at him curiously.
"How did you learn to fight?"
He tilted his head while thinking.
"I've never seen you practice any martial arts at the orphanage before… yet you're really skilled."
Bell paused for a moment.
Inside his mind, a thought surfaced.
"Should I just tell them that I'm The Greatest Mage…?"
"It wouldn't even be that much of a stretch, considering the insane amount of knowledge I possess about different sources of power… but then…"
Bell pushed the thought aside.
"Oh, I didn't really learn any martial arts," Bell replied casually. "I just acted instinctively."
Marc's eyes widened in admiration.
"Woaa, you're really talented!"
Bell laughed it off and shrugged.
"So are you."
Inside his mind, Bell quietly thought,
"I guess… I won't reveal it to them just yet…"
Just then, Juro returned carrying a few plates and placed them on the table. It was fried rice and a bowl of goat soup.
"Heh. There'll be more food coming," Juro said. "I just brought these first to help out a bit."
He pulled a chair and sat down with them.
"The total cost for the food was around thirty silver," he added. "But I got a discount soooo… hehe."
He grinned proudly.
"I only paid twenty-one silver ( ´◡‿ゝ◡`). "
Marc's eyes sparkled.
"Woaaaa, that's amazing Teacher Juro!"
Bell stared at him with a flat expression.
"(-_-)"
Juro chuckled.
"So, what were you kids talking about?"
Marc opened his mouth to answer
But Bell quickly spoke first, cutting him off.
"Juro, are there any dungeons here in Demanas?"
Marc immediately got curious and turned toward Bell.
"Oooo."
Juro rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Hmmm… dungeons, huh?"
He glanced at Bell.
"Did you read something about that in the library?"
Bell nodded.
Juro leaned back slightly in his chair.
Juro said, "Well, to answer it shortly, yes. There are plenty of dungeons in Demanas."
Bell leaned slightly forward with curiosity. "Has anyone ever gone through all the dungeons in Demanas?"
Juro rubbed his chin for a moment before replying. "I don't think so. But there was a record saying that The Greatest Mage explored the most dungeons. A lot of the information we have about dungeons actually came from him."
"Woaa… so he even explores dungeons?" Marc said in amazement.
Bell quietly kept his expression calm, but inside his thoughts were different.
'Well… I actually explored every possible dungeon in Demanas years ago…'
'I just never made any official announcements or records about it. I didn't want to ruin the excitement for adventurers who wanted to explore them themselves.'
Bell tilted his head slightly and asked, "Woah, I've been hearing his name a lot. Is he really that great?"
Marc instantly leaned forward excitedly. "Yes, he is!"
Juro chuckled at Marc's enthusiasm. "If a person or entity doesn't know who he is, then they're probably not from this world. Even people who live under a rock would know that person."
Marc proudly said, "The Greatest Mage!"
Juro smiled and continued, "In fact, the two of you might even have the potential to be recognized by him someday when you're older."
Juro's gaze briefly shifted toward Bell.
'Especially him… ' Juro thought. 'That kid advances way too abnormally fast.'
Marc's eyes sparkled. "Woaaa… I mean, I hope so. I want to get my book signed by him someday."
Juro looked at Marc curiously. "Speaking of books, when we left the orphanage earlier, weren't you carrying only one book?"
Marc nodded. "Yeah. That book was the first book I ever read that introduced me to The Greatest Mage."
Bell looked interested. "What's the title of the book?"
Marc scratched the back of his head awkwardly and looked down in embarrassment. "The title isn't really that grand or anything. It's just a simple kids book Jenna got for me…"
He coughed slightly before finishing, "It's called The Greatest Mage: Achieve His Greatness. I know the name is kind of… well… yeah… ehe…"
Juro laughed and ruffled Marc's hair. "Hey, don't worry about it. Who knows? Maybe you'll become someone great like him someday."
Marc smiled brightly after hearing that.
Bell watched quietly and formed a small, secret smile of his own.
Soon after, the meals arrived. Everyone began eating while casually chatting, enjoying the dinner together.
..
…
After they finished eating, everyone returned to their rooms. Marc immediately jumped onto the bed, stretching his arms out as he sank into the mattress.
"Ahh… this feels so cozy," he said happily.
Bell remained quiet. Instead of going to the bed, he sat on the floor and leaned his back against the wall.
'I swear… ' Bell thought to himself. ' I'm not used to being this tired and fatigued… This child's body is making me experience things I've never thought I'd feel again…'
Marc noticed Bell sitting on the floor and tilted his head.
"Hey Bell, do you want to sleep on the bed with me?" Marc asked. "I can scoot over a bit and make space."
Bell shook his head calmly. "It's fine. I'm comfortable here."
Juro, who was nearby, simply smiled at the two of them.
"Alright, you two should get some rest," Juro said. "We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow."
Marc adjusted himself on the bed and looked toward Juro. "What about you, Teacher Juro? Are you going to sleep too?"
Juro waved his hand casually and smiled. "Yeah, I'll sleep on the floor soon. I just need to step out and take care of some quick errands. You two go ahead and sleep."
Marc's eyes were already getting heavier with each passing second.
"Alright, Teacher Juro… goodnight…" he murmured.
Moments later, Marc closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.
Juro glanced over at Bell and saw his head leaning against the wall with his eyes closed.
Juro smiled quietly, then turned off the lights and stepped outside, gently closing the door behind him.
The room fell silent.
A few seconds later, Bell slowly opened his eyes.